Week #9 Saturday, 16th – Tuesday, Aug. 19th In your bag: Swiss Chard Onions – superstar, red tropea Carrots, Fennel Peppers – bell & jalapeno Cucumbers Zucchini & Summer squash Filet Beans Broccoli or Eggplant Potatoes – Purple Viking Tomatoes (sungold cherry, early girl & celebrity and a couple of heirlooms) Cilantro& Parsley Coming Soon. I’m guessing melons next week, maybe some lettuce and probably broccoli and eggplant. Farm News We got a little bit of rain this past week – not nearly enough to stop irrigating – just enough to settle a little dust. The real (and scary) news of the week is that last Sunday, August 10th, Mike and I went out to harvest zucchini and there was FROST on the ground – in August. YIKES! We planted some fall spinach, turnips and arugula this week. We’re working on increasing the variety in the fall bags. We’ll need to hold off on the frost though …. Second Payments Due Many of you chose to divide your pledge into two payments. The second payment is now due. If you are unsure if you owe or how much, please let me know. Tuesday Help Needed We need harvest/delivery help for Tuesday, August 26th and each Tuesday for the rest of the season. If you can help, please call Michele Gersich at 612-378-0380 or e-mail her at mgersich@att.net Thanks! A Tribute to Nuala Kernan A very dear friend, ardent farm supporter, and person extraordinaire, Nuala Kernan, died this past Wednesday, August 13th. For the past three years Nuala fought the ovarian cancer that eventually took her life. She fought with bravery, humor, some tears and loads of grace. Our families met 22 years ago when Katie was a baby and their daughter Caoilfhionn was a year old. We became fast friends. When we moved from the city to the farm, they helped with the move and when we proposed starting a community supported farm Nuala and John and Caoilfhionn were right there with us. Nuala served on our core group for many years, worked on the newsletter we put out in the early days, hosted a pick-up site and coordinated harvest days. When friends and family visited from Ireland, she would often bring them out here for a visit and so we had the good fortune of meeting her sisters and brother and had a couple of good visits with her charming father. When she went back to Ireland, she always brought maple syrup from the farm, a treat her father liked on his oatmeal. Nuala was all about community. It was the piece of the farm that she felt so strongly about. For Nuala, in fact, the vegetables were just a side-line. While she was an active committee member and site host, for many years she chose to get a bag of vegetables just once a month! She was one of the firm voices in the creation of our member-based delivery system, a system she believed would help foster the connections she felt were so important. Wherever Nuala went (and this is true right up to the end) she reached out, met new people, took them under her wing and brought them into her large circle of friends. She will be sorely missed. Next Week’s Harvesters Saturday, August 23 - Jacki Betsworth & George Hunt, Angela & Brian Gustafson, Julie & Mike Drysdale, Kate Kysar & Scotto Velders, Tom & Darlene White Tuesday, August 26 – Ann Kragenbring & Phil Bode, Meredith & Dick Poppele, Brenda Beyer & Barry Schade, Hermann Weinlick, NEED ! www.springhillcommunityfarm.com; springhill@chibardun.net 715-455-1319 VEGETABLE BIRIYANI (6 servings) From Cooking Light magazine Dayna Anderson brought this dish out for potluck lunch a few weeks ago. It was very tasty. I think you could be pretty flexible with the vegetables added –for instance broccoli rather than cauliflower or zucchini and summer squash rather than the beans you get the idea. ½ tsp. saffron, crumbled ¼ cup milk 1 ½ cups basmati rice, soaked in cold water 10 minutes and drained 3 Tbsp. canola oil 2 lg. onions, thinly sliced 1 ½ tsp. whole cumin seeds ¾ tsp. ground cardamom 1 cinnamon stick, broken into 4 pieces ½ tsp. ground cloves 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 plum tomatoes (about ½ lb.), peeled, seeded, and chopped 6 oz. green beans, cut or snapped into thirds (about 1 ½ cups) ½ head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 2 cups) 2 carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces (about ¾ cup) 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 ½ tsp. coarse salt 1 cup fresh or frozen peas 2 oz. about ½ cup cashews Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine saffron and milk in a small bowl; set aside. Place rice in 1 ½ cups cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer about 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook, stirring over medium heat, until golden brown and slightly crisp (10 to 20 minutes). Remove half of the onions from pan, and reserve. Add remaining Tbsp. oil along with the spices, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour 1 cup water into pan; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add green beans, cauliflower, carrots, chickpeas, and salt. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cover pan. Cook until veggies are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add peas and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Place 1/3 of the rice in a 3 ½ quart heavy-bottom casserole or baking dish with a tightfitting lid. Drizzle half of the saffron milk over the rice. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half the veggie mixture to the casserole, leaving liquid behind. Place another 1/3 of rice on top; drizzle with remaining saffron milk. Repeat with remaining veggies and rice. Spread reserved onions over the top; sprinkle with cashews. Cover and bake until casserole is heated through and aromatic, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool slightly before serving.